7 Things To Watch For Today On NBC Sports Network

7 Things To Watch For Today On NBC Sports NetworkThis is the third and final meeting with Colorado this season. The first two contests played against the Avalanche took place at STAPLES Center, with both games stretching past the 60-minute mark.

KINGS (31-22-6) at AVALANCHE (37-16-5)

7:00PM PT, TV: NBC SPORTS NETWORK; RADIO: AM 1150

BACK AT ‘ER: This is the third and final meeting with Colorado this season. The first two contests played against the Avalanche took place at STAPLES Center, with both games stretching past the 60-minute mark. The Kings fell 1-0 in OT on November 23, and won 3-2 in a shootout on December 21. Can the Kings win the rubber-match of the season series whilst making their lone visit to Denver’s Pepsi Center?
COLUMBUS CARRY-OVER: The Olympic break came at an ideal time for the Kings, who had lost nine of 10 games before beating the Columbus Blue Jackets 2-1 in OT on February 6 in their final game prior to the league’s Sochi stoppage. Can the Kings pot their second consecutive win tonight in Colorado to jumpstart their return to NHL action?

CATCH-22: After tonight, the Kings will have only 22 games remaining on their regular season schedule. The measure of opponents will lighten up a bit from here on out, as only four of the Kings’ next 12 games, and nine of their remaining 23, will be against teams that are currently in playoff position.

GOTTA SCORE, BABY: The Kings enter tonight’s ‘bout in Colorado with the NHL’s second-worst offense, chiming in with an average of 2.25 goals per game. They scored in the Olympics, though. Drew Doughty (4G, 2A) and Jeff Carter (3G, 2A) notched 11 points for Team Canada, Dustin Brown (2G, 1A) three points for Team USA, and Anze Kopitar (2G, 1A) three points for Team Slovenia. Can the Kings bring some offense to Denver?

PEACOCK PRIMETIME: The Olympics may be over, but television viewing has you strapped to NBC coverage again tonight. Bob and Jim will be back for live play-by-play on FOX SPORTS WEST Thursday night in Calgary. The Kings are 3-2-0 this season when televised nationally on NBC Sports Network.

THE LAST TIME AROUND: The last time the Kings skated in Colorado at Pepsi Center, they fell 4-3 in OT on September 20, which was their fourth preseason game of the year. Justin Williams, Dwight King, and prospect Nick Shore scored for the Kings in their 4-3 OT loss.

The Kings last skated in a regular season game at Pepsi Center on January 22, 2013. Kyle Clifford gave the Kings an early lead off of a well-placed rebound from a Jordan Nolan shot, but Colorado powered through late with three third-period goals to trump the Kings 3-1.

COLORADO CLIFF

WE’RE DOING IT LIVE: Catch live play-by-play and game viewing on NBC Sports Network at 7:00 PT.